Maine Democrat says Trump should be permitted on primary ballot 'until he is actually found guilty ... of insurrection'

In response to the Maine secretary of state's move to block former President Donald Trump from the primary ballot, Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine said in a statement that Trump should be permitted on the ballot until he is determined to be guilty of insurrection.

"I voted to impeach Donald Trump for his role in the January 6th insurrection," Golden said in the statement. "I do not believe he should be re-elected as President of the United States. However, we are a nation of laws, therefore until he is actually found guilty of the crime of insurrection, he should be allowed on the ballot."

In her decision, Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows declared that evidence showed "the falsity of Mr. Trump's declaration that he meets the qualifications of the office of the presidency," and she found "that the primary petition of Mr. Trump is invalid." However, she suspended the impact of her ruling "until the Superior Court rules on any appeal, or the time to appeal ... has expired."

Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement, "We will quickly file a legal objection in state court to prevent this atrocious decision in Maine from taking effect, and President Trump will never stop fighting to Make America Great Again."

GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine apparently does not believe the decision should stand.

"Maine voters should decide who wins the election – not a Secretary of State chosen by the Legislature. The Secretary of State's decision would deny thousands of Mainers the opportunity to vote for the candidate of their choice, and it should be overturned," a tweet on the @SenatorCollins X account declares. The account description notes that "all tweets originate from the Press Office of Senator Susan Collins."

"Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows ignores the fact that, for purposes of Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment, Trump was not 'an officer of the United States.' Thus, even if Trump had engaged in insurrection (to be sure, he has not), he still couldn’t be excluded," GOP Sen. Mike Lee of Utah tweeted.

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